Sally Jacques's forte is site specific work. Her company, Blue Lapis Light sets dance in spaces such as warehouses, bridges, building lobbies, etc. Their latest opus was set in the Intel Building Shell in downtown Austin. The dancers were dwarfed by the immense building, and audience members needed binoculars to see the details of the choreography. Lighting was a challenge for Jason Amato as well. Technically and conceptually, the performance was unique and engaging. For me most elements worked, but a few aspects were difficult to appreciate when action was taking place in multiple areas of the building simultaneously. Photography was a challenge for a variety of reasons - in terms of lighting, spacing, framing, etc. There are lots of interesting possibilities, had I had more opportunities and access to different parts of the building. Photos of the space and performance are ready for viewing in the dance gallery until August 2006.
The first time I saw Don Quixote, it was apparent that it was a skeleton story - with an excuse to dance. The original story seems to have a lot of physiological depth, which I find missing in the ballet. However, from a photographer's prospective, it is a treat - due to its dynamic choreography and small corps work. Houston Ballet's version, choreographed by Ben Stevenson, was the first performance I experienced live. It is the most lavish production I have see (including the three DVD productions). I am sorry, that the contract with Houston Ballet does not permit me to show the photos. But I assure you they were wonderful like the production.
The North American Bengali conference is an annual gathering of people from the state of West Bengal. It was a feast of culture for three days. I went just of enjoy myself. I managed to control my urge to photograph the first two days. But the third day presented too tempting an offer to resist, and I captured six genres over four hours, missing lunch.
The 150 galleries of past productions I have photographed over the past couple of years have been removed from public viewing. But I have consolidated some of the 5000 images into three small galleries by genre. I plan to keep the compilations updates by removing and adding images on an irregular basis. Also new galleries will only be housed for a short time. Expect the number of images from each production to reduce as well. Shows from April will be removed by August.
Guru Bichitrananda Swain's group will be performing in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Houston in the end of July and first week of August. They are a wonderful set of dancers with excellent forms and coordination. I was very impressed with the last two times I saw and photographed them. I have posted some images from these shows for a couple of weeks in the gallery titled "Dancers of Rudrakshya" Try and catch them live in your city.
Austin has experienced Thaddeus Davis's choreographic talents in 2005 at Ballet Austin's Director's Choice. He also was the Judge's favorite in the 2006 New American Talent competition. This time, we got to see him dance in a new piece, thanks to Dance Umbrella. The full version of the work will be presented in February 2007. But meanwhile you can view moments from this unique Dance Theatre in the dance gallery.
Coming up: Zilker Theater Production's Summer Musical Extravaganza 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, KDH Dance's And then there were 12, and Austin's Newest Dance Company - American Repertory Ensemble.
Photos from the performances can be seen at insightphotography.smugmug.com/Dance.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Monday, June 05, 2006
June 2006
June has been a relatively quiet month, but with some interesting projects. It has given much needed time to focus (no pun) on other aspects of photography and massage, especially on the business end.
The month began with Ballet Under the Stars at the Zilker Hillside Theatre. This is an annual show produced by Artistic Director Arletta Howard-Logan's Austin Dance Ensemble. Her group has some of the best (collectively as a group) female classical ballet dancers in Austin, in my opinion, other than the Ballet Austin Academy. It was a pleasure to see some of my favorite dancers from last year once more. Unfortunately, the lighting plot at the Zilker was difficult to appreciate - both from an aesthetic as well as photography prospective. Nevertheless the graceful form of the dancers came through in some photos.
I have not photographed high caliber bharatnatyam dancers since the Fall of 2005. Therefore the presentation of Bhaaratha Samudhaayam Vazhgave, in San Antonio was a treat. This ballet was a compilation of compositions by the renowned, turn of the 20th century, South Indian poet, Bharathiyar. Themes from his muse Goddess, to the equality of women, as well as patriotism were explored. The dancers were trained by some of the best dancers in this genre, and did credit to the teachers. Each had their strength, and the performance was very enjoyable. I am a fan of several of the choreographers as well. It was a pleasure to capture them though the lens.
This was the first time I attended the Big Range Dance Festival (bigrange.org). Unfortunately I could only experience Program B. The Barnavelder, which hosts the festival) is an intimate space for a performance. Subtle body movements and detailed facial expressions, usually lost in larger venues, are very easy to see. As an audience member, one can connect with a dancer more intimately I feel. I have not had the opportunity to shoot here very often, but the photographs from this space have a very different feel. It allows for unusual angles and which suits contemporary/modern dance forms well, but at the expense of a lower yield of shots due to volatile spacing between the camera and dancers. Most of the pieces (or parts of) Program B appealed to me. There were a few performances that I wanted to see in Program A and C, but was unable to do so. I regret missing FLY's final performance before their retirement.
Photos from these performances can be seen in the June Summary gallery at http://insightphotography.smugmug.com/Dance.
I will write about some of the other performances in June soon. They include Blue Lapis Light's Requiem, Houston Ballet's Don Quixote,
Texas Youth Dance Council's Performance, and Thaddeus Davis's performance in Austin. Additionally, I have also completed a slide show summarizing my portfolio. More on that later.
The month began with Ballet Under the Stars at the Zilker Hillside Theatre. This is an annual show produced by Artistic Director Arletta Howard-Logan's Austin Dance Ensemble. Her group has some of the best (collectively as a group) female classical ballet dancers in Austin, in my opinion, other than the Ballet Austin Academy. It was a pleasure to see some of my favorite dancers from last year once more. Unfortunately, the lighting plot at the Zilker was difficult to appreciate - both from an aesthetic as well as photography prospective. Nevertheless the graceful form of the dancers came through in some photos.
I have not photographed high caliber bharatnatyam dancers since the Fall of 2005. Therefore the presentation of Bhaaratha Samudhaayam Vazhgave, in San Antonio was a treat. This ballet was a compilation of compositions by the renowned, turn of the 20th century, South Indian poet, Bharathiyar. Themes from his muse Goddess, to the equality of women, as well as patriotism were explored. The dancers were trained by some of the best dancers in this genre, and did credit to the teachers. Each had their strength, and the performance was very enjoyable. I am a fan of several of the choreographers as well. It was a pleasure to capture them though the lens.
This was the first time I attended the Big Range Dance Festival (bigrange.org). Unfortunately I could only experience Program B. The Barnavelder, which hosts the festival) is an intimate space for a performance. Subtle body movements and detailed facial expressions, usually lost in larger venues, are very easy to see. As an audience member, one can connect with a dancer more intimately I feel. I have not had the opportunity to shoot here very often, but the photographs from this space have a very different feel. It allows for unusual angles and which suits contemporary/modern dance forms well, but at the expense of a lower yield of shots due to volatile spacing between the camera and dancers. Most of the pieces (or parts of) Program B appealed to me. There were a few performances that I wanted to see in Program A and C, but was unable to do so. I regret missing FLY's final performance before their retirement.
Photos from these performances can be seen in the June Summary gallery at http://insightphotography.smugmug.com/Dance.
I will write about some of the other performances in June soon. They include Blue Lapis Light's Requiem, Houston Ballet's Don Quixote,
Texas Youth Dance Council's Performance, and Thaddeus Davis's performance in Austin. Additionally, I have also completed a slide show summarizing my portfolio. More on that later.
Monday, May 08, 2006
May 2006 Entry
Since May is Dance Month, I created a gallery of several dance genres and dancers across the world. I also plan to remove most of the 138 dance galleries from the Dance section by then end of June. Only performances from the last two months will be on display.
The following performances have been added to the Dance Gallery, or will appear by May 30th
Tanjore Performing Arts Student Spring Recital
Austin Community College Spring Showcase
Texas Ballet Theater's Cinderella
Ballet Austin's Romeo Juliet
Ballet Austin Academy Spring Recital
The Rimers of Eldritch (Play in the Theatre Gallery)
Texas Ballet Theater Academy Spring Recital
Romeo and Juliet by Dominic Walsh Dance Theater
Radha Madhava, a ballet, based on Bharatnatyam, Kathak, and Kuchipudi styles of Indian Classical Dance forms
The following performances have been added to the Dance Gallery, or will appear by May 30th
Tanjore Performing Arts Student Spring Recital
Austin Community College Spring Showcase
Texas Ballet Theater's Cinderella
Ballet Austin's Romeo Juliet
Ballet Austin Academy Spring Recital
The Rimers of Eldritch (Play in the Theatre Gallery)
Texas Ballet Theater Academy Spring Recital
Romeo and Juliet by Dominic Walsh Dance Theater
Radha Madhava, a ballet, based on Bharatnatyam, Kathak, and Kuchipudi styles of Indian Classical Dance forms
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
April 2006 Entry
April has been an exciting month, busy closing up past projects and shooting, fewer but longer projects. Photographing a dance instruction book, was followed by my favorite Texas dance festival - Dance Salad. 11 companies based in several European countries, China, and the USA performed 14 pieces. I look forward to dance festivals eagerly, due to the opportunity to experience variety of choreographers, dance styles, and skilled dancers. I invariably learn something new about the art, behind the scenes drama, and technical aspects of photography. This is the third year I shot Dance Salad, and the photos have a different feel than last year. William Pedro was the most captivating dancer in Béjart Ballet Lausanne(Switzerland)'s La Barre. A very engaging dancer - exquisite form and movement. And only 17 years old I am told.
This was the first time I got to photograph a Ballet Austin Academy performance. Excerpts from Paquita were my favorite. It was also interesting to see works by Reggie Harris and Michelle Thompson (the Ballet Mistress and Associate Artistic Director of BA) for the first time. Gina Patterson's works was also featured by BA II.
Tapestry's Swinging Then and Now was challenging shoot as usual. Tap moments are difficult to capture, and Jason Amato's high contrast lighting looks dynamic on stage, but is difficult to expose well. Nevertheless I was pleased with a few of the shots. The dance photos are at Photos are at insightphotography.smugmug.com/Dance.
The Sarah Butler Opera Center presented the Dialogue of the Carmelites. A synopsis can be found here. It is always fascinating on how lighting Designer, Kathryn Eader and set designer Christopher McCollum create the ambiance with such limited space at the McCullough. Some of the images are at insightphotography.smugmug.com/Theater. I have posted the full set from St. Stephen's theatre focus production of 42nd Street as well.
A week was spent at the Annual Texas School. This is the largest school of its kind....and an interesting experience. Around 950 photographers were educated by 30+ renowned photographers. I spent a week with Dwayne Lee, a wedding photographer from Arlington, and several other peers from Texas (and a few other states). Dwayne was very generous with his knowledge, and has helped advance my technical and aesthetic skills.
The May issue of Dance Magazine has a review of Houston Ballet's new production of Swan Lake, by Stanton Welch. One photo, taken by me, of Marcelo Gomes and Sara Webb, at the final Dress rehearsal appears in the review. HB limits access to images of their dancers. So this is a rare treat, even if the color in the image, is yellowish for some reason.
This was the first time I got to photograph a Ballet Austin Academy performance. Excerpts from Paquita were my favorite. It was also interesting to see works by Reggie Harris and Michelle Thompson (the Ballet Mistress and Associate Artistic Director of BA) for the first time. Gina Patterson's works was also featured by BA II.
Tapestry's Swinging Then and Now was challenging shoot as usual. Tap moments are difficult to capture, and Jason Amato's high contrast lighting looks dynamic on stage, but is difficult to expose well. Nevertheless I was pleased with a few of the shots. The dance photos are at Photos are at insightphotography.smugmug.com/Dance.
The Sarah Butler Opera Center presented the Dialogue of the Carmelites. A synopsis can be found here. It is always fascinating on how lighting Designer, Kathryn Eader and set designer Christopher McCollum create the ambiance with such limited space at the McCullough. Some of the images are at insightphotography.smugmug.com/Theater. I have posted the full set from St. Stephen's theatre focus production of 42nd Street as well.
A week was spent at the Annual Texas School. This is the largest school of its kind....and an interesting experience. Around 950 photographers were educated by 30+ renowned photographers. I spent a week with Dwayne Lee, a wedding photographer from Arlington, and several other peers from Texas (and a few other states). Dwayne was very generous with his knowledge, and has helped advance my technical and aesthetic skills.
The May issue of Dance Magazine has a review of Houston Ballet's new production of Swan Lake, by Stanton Welch. One photo, taken by me, of Marcelo Gomes and Sara Webb, at the final Dress rehearsal appears in the review. HB limits access to images of their dancers. So this is a rare treat, even if the color in the image, is yellowish for some reason.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
March 2006 Photo Blog
March provided a great deal of variety - and several unique experiences in Modern, Jazz, Ballet, and Flamenco.
The month began with Spankdance's Greyhounds and Other Virtual Ways to Travel. The photographic challenge was the space and low lighting. Dance Houston Does Houston was an interesting project, with several choreographers tying in a storyline involving Houston and Houstonians (including mosquitoes and mosquito hawks). ACDFA provided a wonderful opportunity to experience a variety of styles and choreography in a few days. I do not get the opportunity to shoot such so many performances and moods in such a short time. A great time to test/explore new techniques as well.
Ballet San Antonio and the San Antonio Jazz Ensemble presented an appropriately mixed repertory titled, Entangled, at the Carver. It was very refreshing to see Classical Ballet for the first time this year. The company is an impressive one, especially considering the size. Immediately following was Academia de Arte Flamenco 'Historias Flamencas". I rarely get to see this genre, and this is the third time I shot Flamenco. It was a wonderful program, repeating Olivia Chacon's First Night Austin commissioned program, "De Noche", which I had missed capturing in December 2005. Several solos, including the captivating Antonio Granjero from Spain graced the second half of the program.
Ballet Austin's Directors Choice provides some wonderful visual treat as well. It was a "then and now" program. Stephen Mill's and Gina Patterson's first Ballet Austin commissions complimented their latest works in a single evening. The month ended with Atash's Global Harmony show, including belly dancing. It was a rare treat as I do not get the chance to shoot music and belly dancers often. Although I missed Ad Deum's performance this month, some of the pieces they performed can be viewed in the Dance gallery titled "Wondrous Beasts" from last Fall.
April, although the International Dance Month, in some ways should be a quieter month.I will miss 4 interesting presentations due to training. Please note that the March photos are being staggered for viewing, as time becomes available, and artistic directors give their approval. So please revisit if you do not find the photos. Visit the Music and Dance galleries at http://insightphotography.smugmug.com
The month began with Spankdance's Greyhounds and Other Virtual Ways to Travel. The photographic challenge was the space and low lighting. Dance Houston Does Houston was an interesting project, with several choreographers tying in a storyline involving Houston and Houstonians (including mosquitoes and mosquito hawks). ACDFA provided a wonderful opportunity to experience a variety of styles and choreography in a few days. I do not get the opportunity to shoot such so many performances and moods in such a short time. A great time to test/explore new techniques as well.
Ballet San Antonio and the San Antonio Jazz Ensemble presented an appropriately mixed repertory titled, Entangled, at the Carver. It was very refreshing to see Classical Ballet for the first time this year. The company is an impressive one, especially considering the size. Immediately following was Academia de Arte Flamenco 'Historias Flamencas". I rarely get to see this genre, and this is the third time I shot Flamenco. It was a wonderful program, repeating Olivia Chacon's First Night Austin commissioned program, "De Noche", which I had missed capturing in December 2005. Several solos, including the captivating Antonio Granjero from Spain graced the second half of the program.
Ballet Austin's Directors Choice provides some wonderful visual treat as well. It was a "then and now" program. Stephen Mill's and Gina Patterson's first Ballet Austin commissions complimented their latest works in a single evening. The month ended with Atash's Global Harmony show, including belly dancing. It was a rare treat as I do not get the chance to shoot music and belly dancers often. Although I missed Ad Deum's performance this month, some of the pieces they performed can be viewed in the Dance gallery titled "Wondrous Beasts" from last Fall.
April, although the International Dance Month, in some ways should be a quieter month.I will miss 4 interesting presentations due to training. Please note that the March photos are being staggered for viewing, as time becomes available, and artistic directors give their approval. So please revisit if you do not find the photos. Visit the Music and Dance galleries at http://insightphotography.smugmug.com
Friday, March 24, 2006
February 2006 Photo Blog
February's highlights include photos from Ballet Austin's first New Talent Competition. ProArts Collective put up a series of shows for Black History Month, including the Washington Reflections Dance Company's dancers, who have beautiful lines. The University of Texas at Austin's Dance Department presented a very cartoon bookish, yet classy production at the Brockett Theatre. The colorful production of Changuita Perla is available for viewing. It replaces the Metropolitan's Classical Ballet's performance as my current featured dance gallery. Theatre galleries are updated less often. But February had two excellent production - St. Stephen's Theatre Focus presented the extravaganza of 42nd Street. UTA's Sarah and Ernest Butler Opera Center's premier of The Scarecrow was a visual treat as usual. All photos can be found at http://insightphotography.smugmug.com/
Community events by the Alvin Ailey Company and the Grammy Nominated Dave Douglas can be found at http://utpac.org in their community relations section. Attend live performances! Photos do not do justice. March will include performances from Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.
Community events by the Alvin Ailey Company and the Grammy Nominated Dave Douglas can be found at http://utpac.org in their community relations section. Attend live performances! Photos do not do justice. March will include performances from Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.
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